ComplaintsforWelcome Home Midwifery

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is my experience with Welcome Home Midwifery (WHM) while I was 32 weeks pregnant and using their CPM services for prenatal care and the eventual home birth of my baby. WHM owner Paige Carroll terminated my care through a message days after she requested and deposited my check payment of $1,500. Her termination of my care was not for any medical reasons. Attached is her notice of termination We tried calling and emailing, but never received specific reasons for our termination. The last appointment I had with her was Thursday (7/6). At this appointment she led me to believe they were happy to continue my care and had no concerns. At my appointment she scheduled my next appointment, discussed newborn procedures with me (leading me to believe she would continue my care up until birth), set up a separate home visit appointment, and requested a check for $1,500. Nothing came up in that appointment or the 4 previous appointments about them having concerns about continuing my care. She deposited my check the same day Thursday (7/6). The check took two business days to clear, (Friday and Monday) and then she sent me the online message about terminating my care Monday (7/10) night at 10:39pm. In accordance with her contract, $500 was due and given to her when she started my care and another deposit of $1,500 was due to her after I turned 30 weeks pregnant. The 7/6 appointment was the first appointment I attended after turning 30 weeks pregnant and it is clear to me that she purposely leveraged her contract and waited until I gave her the 2nd deposit to terminate my care. She led me to believe she was continuing my care until immediately after my check was deposited. I tried contacting Paige for a refund of some of our money. She never responded. Although she did not technically break her contract, it is clear that she leveraged it to get as much money as she could, did not act in good faith and was generally dishonest and unprofessional in the way she treated us.

  Business response

  09/11/2023

  My discontinuing care with Kady ** was a decision made out of consideration for her best interest. It was not a decision that was taken lightly, nor was it one that was made impulsively. At her final appointment with me on 7/6, things were said that made me very much question whether or not we would be the best providers for the remainder of her pregnancy. Because this was not a decision that was only up to me, and because I was not sure weather or not we would ultimately discontinue her care, we had a through and complete appointment, which included education and scheduling our next one. It was only after having time to consider the appointment and consult with my colleague that we decided to discontinue her care. I did try and explain to Kady how and why we came to this decision, but ultimately I do not believe she agreed with the decision which is what led her to be unhappy with my business. Just as Kady has mentioned in her original complaint, I did collect payment at that last appointment. In the financial agreement documentation that she shared, you can see where the payment expectations were lined out. She had missed her 24 week and 30 week payments and had only paid her initial deposit. Regardless of whether or not we decided to continue her care after that appointment, it had nothing to do with her being behind in payments, and my requesting her overdue balance. I understand why it appeared on her end that I "leveraged my contract" by requesting payment, the check clearing and then discounting care, but if she had made her payments on time in the first place, then it would not have appeared this way. I also provided Kady with an itemized receipt along with dates of service and CPT codes to submit to her insurance, so she can receive reimbursement. And lastly, I did communicate with Kady several times throughout this process, but just not in the way she would have liked. She wanted a phone call, and while I understand this desire and why messaging through our secured, HIPAA protected client portal seems impersonal, it is not only best practice, but it ensures that all of our communication is properly documented. I also explained this to her and apologized for it seeming impersonal or rude. It has never been my intent to take advantage of Kady. Our agreement is very clearly laid out from the beginning of care, including the clause that the midwife may discontinue care for any reason. While it is certainly not a habit to do this, it is there not only to protect ourselves, but also our clients. Because at the end of the day, I truly did not believe that I (or my practice) was the best provider for Kady any longer, and my desire for her to have the best experience possible is what led us to this decision. 

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